Dear Friends,

In this issue, we feature an excerpt from the fall retreat at Serenity Ridge where Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche’s inspiring Powa teachings covered the importance of truly knowing our own mortality, lessons learned in sleep and a key to our waking up fully. How fortunate we are to hear Rinpoche’s kind and powerful message about death and living our life with awareness.

See the important update on the Serenity Ridge Winter Retreat in the article below!

More news and events at Ligmincha:

• Update on the Serenity Ridge Winter Dzogchen Meditation Retreat: ONLINE only, January 3–4, 2026 and January 10–11, 2026.
• Announcing Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche’s 2026 schedule.
• Beginning in April 2026: The three-year training program on the Five Elements with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche.
• Upcoming free CyberSangha events.
• Support Ligmincha on GivingTuesday – December 2, 2025.
• Just announced for 2026: Ligmincha Learning’s online courses.
• Mark your calendars for GlideWing’s 2026 online workshops with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche.
• The 3 Doors upcoming events & programs include: International Practice Day and more.
• Spanish translation of the October VOCL.

In Bön,
Aline and Jeff Fisher

Powa is about transitioning, transcending, transferring or changing from one state into another state. Po means that you shift, you transition. And if you look at our life, you can see how in every single moment we are transitioning. Every single moment we are changing. Have you recognized that? And shifting from one place to a different place can be difficult. One of the most important shifts in life is obviously when we die. And just as there is a process to one’s being born, there is likewise a particular process to one’s dying. Similarly, there is a process that you go through every night when you go to sleep which resembles dying.

We can say that every night as you go through the process of falling asleep, in a sense you die, because you’re losing contact with family, with your work, your activity, your calendar, and all of your relations. You’re even saying goodbye to your partner who is sleeping right next to you. And at some point, even your own sense of identity dissolves, and you don’t know who you are. This kind of dissolution of all of your contacts is happening throughout the process of going to sleep until you’ve actually fallen asleep.

When you fall into deep sleep, you don’t know who you are there. There’s no one worrying about anything there. That’s the nice thing about deep sleep, right? There’s just this really juicy, restful energy during the night while you are in the experience of deep, or slow wave sleep. Then in the dream, or in the early morning sleep, there is a lot more activity. It’s not the same juicy sleep, rather it’s more alert. There’s rapid eye movement (REM), and there’s lucidity and a lot of other things happening. And the reason why deep sleep is so beautiful is probably because the sense of self is somehow almost non-existent; in fact, it is reduced down to the barest minimum that it can ever be, there in the deep sleep. And that’s why deep sleep is the most fun. At least I look at it in that way. It’s so restorative and so recovering. Even taking a short power nap allows you to slow down, and in that slowing down there’s less and less self there. And even if the nap is for only a short moment, when you wake up you feel restored.

But most of the time, the problem is that we have to carry this sense of self. And it’s heavy. Some people’s sense of self is heavier than others. Regardless though, it’s heavy. But every night when you are going to sleep you are dissolving that sense of self. And the whole practice of dream yoga and sleep yoga is about how much awareness you are able to maintain throughout this process. At some point in the process, are you being this awareness and watching this process of dissolution? Or, are you continuing to make different stories in the process of going to sleep? You know you have a lot of stories in the daytime, right? And now in the nighttime you are still making stories – night stories. Or, have you experienced yet being completely the observer, and rather than making any more stories, you’re dissolving as much as possible the stories that you have created? Every night you have the opportunity to practice dissolving that sense of self, and becoming better and better at doing that.

And with regard to your going to sleep, at some point you have to say the day’s schedule is finished and now it’s time for bed. Nothing is more important than your scheduled time for bed, whatever the time is that you have decided on, because you respect your body, right? And that means not giving in when challenged by particular situations. Oh, there’s a show that I must watch, because last night I almost finished it, and I really want to finish it tonight. That’s really not that important. Or, my friend is coming again tonight and we are planning to just have dinner and chat into the night…It’s not important. Sure the friend is important, but not having it interfere with your sleep schedule is the key. Or maybe it’s working into the night that tempts you. Or it could be doing any number of things.

I usually try to do everything that I have to do before noon. Of course, at retreat it’s a different story due to the schedule there. But otherwise I try to schedule everything important before noon. In the evening I’m free. This idea of making your evenings free and keeping yourself free, and valuing that freedom and prioritizing your sleep, they are all part of the process of not creating more stories.

Imagine the last moment of your death. Would you have a Zoom meeting then? Would you want to try to finish your Netflix series that you had started earlier? No, nothing matters! And that’s how it should be; nothing should matter. Every night as well, nothing should matter. For me, I do that. Of course, sometimes I make an exception and then afterwards I see the error and forgive myself. So the process of prioritizing in that way requires some discipline and it’s important to do that.

And being free in the time prior to our death is important. We all have the hope of having a peaceful death. And there are many examples of that, but one that is very, very clear is that of Yongdzin Rinpoche. The degree of peacefulness that he showed us and the few words that he said are amazing. He did not ask to do some more rituals, or some more long-life mantras. He did not say anything like that. He was ready. In fact, he had begun saying long ago that he was ready. He had begun saying that about ten years ago. We were the ones though who were grasping on to him. But he was ready. So in the last moments he said, don’t worry about it, I am inseparable with the natural state of mind. The word in Tibetan is rang jung yeshe, self-arising wisdom. I am inseparable with self-arising wisdom. So just don’t worry about it. And he truly did not worry about anything. But that does not mean that he didn’t care about all of the people who love him, who respect him, and who care about him. He cared for everybody. But there’s a moment when you see that nothing is important.

What is important is only that when you are with those people, not to hurt them, to take care of them. Every moment in life that you’re with someone, you’re with someone fully and you choose the right things, you say the right thing, you act in the right way, take care of someone, love someone. If you have the opportunity to forgive or not to forgive, and you can do either one, then why not forgive? Logically it doesn’t make any sense not to do it. If you can love and not hate then why not love, why hate? It doesn’t make any sense to hate. The choice is always there. And it seems like, if you keep these choices every day in your life, then there is no real reason to worry about the death. When people like Yongdzin Rinpoche are very peaceful at death, it’s probably the reason. They are living in the moment all of the time. So there’s nothing in that particular moment that is a problem for them as they shift their attention from one form to another. That’s how their whole lifestyle was. That’s how every single present moment was for them.

We have had some wonderful conversations here about the idea of the closeness of life and death. And clearly it makes a lot of sense that bringing death closer to our life seems so important. It’s absolutely true. Not only because it’s so important for the preparation for the death, but also because it’s very important for living fully in the moment. Generally, it is people who have had that awakening to the closeness of life and death that find they are being more present and having a better perspective of life, and being more kind. And scientific research also shows that people who have had a near death experience are more spiritual afterward than they were before. It makes sense. You may have had that experience yourself. Or you might have gotten the results of a diagnostic test which showed that you have some possibly terminal disease, and then you recovered. And after that, you are a different person. And all of those years of doing practices did not help as much as that one event did in changing you.

So going through such difficult moments like those is not bad. In fact, for some people it’s absolutely necessary for the truth to really hit home of how close their death is to life. Of course, I prefer to wake upto that closeness of my death without going through the process of getting the diagnosis and then having treatment and finally overcoming the illness. But if you don’t wake up to the closeness of your own death on your own, then there’s no other solution than going through that process before actually dying.

So, wake up and go closer to your death before actually dying! Because it really changes you when you are actually able to get closer to that. As a teenager I remember finishing the impermanence practices as part of my ngondro. They were hard then, because it didn’t make much sense to my younger self. I would do as instructed to think and imagine that all of the rivers constantly flowing along are impermanent – okay, I could do that. And I would also visualize the trees in autumn, and all of the leaves falling down, seeing how there is constant change happening around us all of the time – okay, I could visualize and imagine that back then. However, as a teenager it’s not easy to fully make sense of that and have the deep impact on your transformation that comes with truly knowing impermanence. Now it makes sense. But sometimes even little children can have a moment of deep insight into this because somehow the experience of death is present deep inside of us all. It’s just a question of how strongly, how genuinely, you have a connection or a relationship with it.

The main point is to find a way to support our really being closer to our death. Not only when you do tests. Not only when you are diagnosed, but rather, every moment in your life. Feeling as close as possible to your death seems so, so important. Because it makes you feel really present in your life. You don’t have to think about it many times, you just come to know what the priority is. For instance, if you can love someone, then you will just love someone and not get angry at them. There’s more tolerance that you will have naturally, more forgiveness that you will naturally generate. And you will know what matters more in those moments: simply be kind to someone; love someone; give to someone; help someone. Because when those opportunities are gone, then they are truly gone. So, you want to live in the moment, and make better choices in the moment. And the only way that allows you to powerfully do that is with your true remembering of the closeness of death. Because in actuality, you do not know for sure whether you will even have the next year or not; you just don’t know for sure.

And please recognize that our truly remembering the closeness of death is not just a matter of thinking like that; but rather it’s when we truly feel like that; when we act out of that; when we are able to witness that I am acting as if it’s my last day, my last week, my last month or my last year. Because then your awareness of death is close enough for you to naturally do those things. And then you’ll also find that you’re living a much happier life.

We want to share some important updates regarding our December and January gatherings.

Unfortunately, Drubdra Khenpo Tsultrim Tenzin Rinpoche was unexpectedly unable to enter the United States. As a result, we must cancel his scheduled teachings at Serenity Ridge, Ligmincha Texas and Ligmincha Torreon. We deeply appreciate your understanding and patience.

As Drubdra Khenpo Tsultrim Tenzin Rinpoche will be in Nepal during this time, we are adjusting the winter retreat schedule as follows: there will be two online weekend retreats taught jointly by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and Drubdra Khenpo Rinpoche.

January 3–4: Teachings on the Invocation of Tapihritsa, one of the most important prayers in the Bön dzogchen tradition.

January 10–11: Teachings on Nail 1 of the Twenty-One Nails, Recognizing the Base of All, offering essential guidance for deepening one’s understanding and practice of dzogchen.

We invite you to join online for these two special weekend teachings. Click here to register.

We look forward to sharing these meaningful weekends of learning and practice with you.

More details and registration information are available on Serenity Ridge’s website.

Here is Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche’s upcoming teaching schedule for 2026. You can find the latest listings and any changes in the Events section of the Ligmincha International or Serenity Ridge websites. Updates will be provided on the website as they become available.

• January 3–4, 2026 and January 10–11: Winter Retreat – Dzogchen Meditation, Online only, with Drubdra Khenpo Tsultrim Tenzin Rinpoche and Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche – Serenity Ridge Retreat Center
• February 20–24, 2026: Awakening to the Authentic Self, A Journey through Movement, Breath and Awareness – Repa Retreat – Registration
• March 9–13, 2026: Dream Yoga Workshop –Esalen Institute – Registration
• April 1–4, 2026: Topic TBA – Ligmincha Mexico 
• April 9–11, 2026: Spring Wellness Retreat –Serenity Ridge Retreat Center
• April 14–19, 2026: Five Elements Training Program – Serenity Ridge Retreat Center
• April 22, 2026: Evening Talk– San Francisco Dharma Collective
• April 24–26, 2026: Chöd, Part 1 – Ligmincha Berkeley
• May 2–3, 2026: Topic TBA – Ligmincha Berlin
• May 9–10, 2026: 6 Lokas, Part 2 – Ligmincha Austria
• May 16–17, 2026: The Heartdrops of Dharmakaya – Ligmincha Netherlands
• May 24–25, 2026: Topic TBA – Ligmincha France & Suisse Romande
• June 26–July 11, 2026: Summer Retreat with Honored Guest His Holiness the 34th Menri Trizin – Serenity Ridge Retreat Center 
• August 11–16, 2026: Topic TBA – Ligmincha Poland
• August 17–23, 2026: Topic TBA – Ligmincha Germany 
• August 29–30, 2026: Embracing the Unknown: A Journey of Trust and Transformation – Ligmincha France & Suisse Romande 
• September 5–6, 2026: Dream Yoga – Ligmincha Hungary
• September 25–27, 2026: Topic TBA – Chamma Ling Colorado
• September 29–October 4, 2026: Silent Dzogchen Meditation Retreat –Serenity Ridge Retreat Center
• October 6–11, 2026: Fall Retreat –Serenity Ridge Retreat Center
• October 16–18, 2026: Chöd, Part 2 – Ligmincha Berkeley
• November 2–6, 2026: Topic TBA –Esalen Institute
• January 1–9, 2027: Winter Retreat –Serenity Ridge Retreat Center

Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche is offering a new three-year training program in 2026: Healing the World, Healing Ourselves: The Five Elements and the Living Universe. This groundbreaking program will combine in-person retreats and online teachings, guiding participants through the study, reflection, meditation, and practice of the five elements—Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Space—at their physical, energetic, and innermost levels.

• Year One will focus on healing our relationship with the natural world. Participants will learn rituals to honor the elements, restore balance in the environment, and harmonize the elements within themselves. This year also includes the practice of working with the elemental goddesses (khandro).
• Year Two will emphasize the energetic dimensions of the elements.
• Year Three will explore the profound perspective of dzogchen, opening the way to the deepest realization of the elements.

Those who complete all three years will be eligible for certification to share these practices with others, extending the benefits of this training into their communities.

We warmly invite you to be part of this new program and to embark on a transformative journey of healing and discovery with Rinpoche in the year ahead.

The schedule for the first year is as follows:

April 9-12, 2026: Spring Wellness Retreat (Five Elements Training Program participants are strongly encouraged to attend) 

April 14-19, 2026: Five Elements in-person training at Serenity Ridge

Learn more/register

CyberSangha’s online events are always free and open to all. Here’s what’s coming up in December and beyond:

Begins Tuesday, December 2, 2025:
“Resting in Inner Refuge,” Free Interactive Online Course

This free course invites you to explore the practice of resting in inner refuge through guided meditations and group dialogue, offering tools to meet life’s challenges with openness, awareness, and warmth. Designed to accompany CyberSangha’s Full Moon Practice, the course runs for three consecutive Tuesdays starting December 2, 2025, and is led by clinical psychologist and meditation teacher Rebecca Ergas. Open to all.
Learn more and register now 

24-Hour Full Moon Practice, “Finding Refuge Within”
Begins Thursday, December 4, 2025, at 10 a.m. New York time

The next Full Moon Practice begins soon! Join us via Zoom at any time during the 24 hours — drop in whenever you can, for one or more practice sessions — as we acknowledge both personal pain and our collective challenges, all while abiding in the open, clear warmth of presence. This is a chance to discover the space of inner refuge: the ultimate protection and a source of genuine compassion. Mai-Linh Leminhbach guides the opening practice.
Learn more and register now

Thursday, December 18, 2025, at 12 noon New York time
“Resting in Being: A Guided Mindfulness Meditation, Part 4”

This mindfulness practice, guided by Aleezé Sattar Moss, supports the inner refuge meditations we engage in each month during the 24-Hour Full Moon Practice.
Learn more and view live

Join the Community!

CyberSangha’s community app, our dedicated social media platform, serves as a primary gateway for meeting like-minded individuals, staying updated on upcoming teachings and events, and accessing live and recorded broadcasts, free classes, and more. Feel free to explore the app’s features, engage with content, share feedback, and participate in polls.
Explore or join the app now

The way Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche presents the Yungdrung Bön teachings gives us the tools that bring peace, joy and meaning in our lives. His unwavering dedication to preserve the Yungdrung Bön teachings for future generations and share them in ways that positively impact our world is the foundation of Ligmincha. Our mission is to share how a kind mind, an open and gentle heart, and a resilient spirit can bring peace, balance, and well-being in our lives and in the world around us.

Our work to manifest his vision relies on financial support from our global community. Our annual goal is $200,000 this year. This support maintains retreat centers, pays teachers and staff, develops programs and implements innovative technologies that allow Ligmincha to better share the ancient Yungdrung Bön teachings. Donations also allow us to meet the evolving and changing needs of our community and to overcome challenges brought in with the covid era and current economic realities, such as higher labor and material costs, deferred maintenance, and more. For the generosity of those who have given in the past, we offer our deepest gratitude and thanks!

Joining our monthly MALA giving circle, Scholarship Fund, or making a three-year pledge is a powerful way to create lasting impact and ensure the sustainability of our mission. Your continued support helps us plan for the future, address new needs, and invest in lasting solutions.  By committing regularly, you become a vital partner in our work, helping us build a stronger, more resilient future together. 

We warmly welcome donations of any size, whether one-time or ongoing, as every gift makes a meaningful difference. If you wish to make a gift of stock, donate crypto, or learn more about leaving a bequest, please visit our website or contact Sue Davis-Dill, Executive Director, at suedavisdill@ligmincha.org.

To make a donation go to https://ligmincha.org/donate/

Wishing you and your family a beautiful fall season and joyful winter holidays.

Rob Patzig

President
Ligmincha International 

Ligmincha Learning is pleased to offer Meditation, Breath and Movement with Alejandro Chaoul, November 28 – December 28, plus these online courses in 2026. Registration will open soon for the first quarter of 2026. Here is the calendar of courses, with all the details on the Ligmincha Learning website.

These online courses feature beautiful video teachings, guided meditations, readings, journal writing activities, and the opportunity to interact with senior mentors and classmates from around the world.

Meditation, Breath and Movement: Tsa Lung External Internal and Secret Practices
November 28 – December 28, 2025 with Alejandro Chaoul
Tsa Lung is a series of ancient yogic practices that brings balance and harmony to our physical body, energy, and mind. These exercises are easy to perform, and are beneficial for everyone. They are a beautiful complement to any meditation practice, and particularly to Dzogchen.
It is open for beginners and those who wish to deepen their practice.
Available in English, Spanish and Portuguese.
Learn more/register

The Three Heart Mantras of the Bön
February 20 – March 29, 2026 with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
The Three Heart Mantras are used in many different meditations in the Bön tradition, and play a major role in the ngondro practices. They are said to be the essence of enlightenment in sound and energy, and as we sing or chant the mantras our awareness is transformed to be in union with the buddhas. They are used for purification, protection and as primary practices toward self-realization.
Learn more/register

Meditation, Breath and Movement: Tsa Lung External Internal and Secret Practices
March 6 – April 5, 2026 with Alejandro Chaoul
Learn more/register

Ngöndro: The Foundational Practices
March 6 – December 21, 2026 with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
Learn more/register

Sleep Yoga: The Yoga of Clear Light
March 28 – April 25, 2026 with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
Learn more/register

Sherap Chamma, Mother of Wisdom and Love
April 10 – May 10, 2026 with Marcy Vaughn
Learn more/register

The Five Elements: Healing with Form, Energy and Light
April 24 – June 7, 2026 with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
Learn more/register

Meditation, Breath and Movement: Tsa Lung External Internal and Secret Practices
June 26 – July 26, 2026 with Alejandro Chaoul
Learn more/register

The Five Elements: Healing with Form, Energy and Light
July 10 – August 23, 2026 with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
Learn more/register

Transforming Our Emotions Through the Six Lokas
September 4 – October 25, 2026 with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
Learn more/register

The Three Heart Mantras of the Bön
October 2, 2026 with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
Learn more/register

Sherap Chamma, Mother of Wisdom and Love
November 13, 2026 with Marcy Vaughn
Learn more/register

Sleep Yoga: The Yoga of Clear Light
November 21 with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
Learn more/register

Meditation, Breath and Movement: Tsa Lung External Internal and Secret Practices
November 27 – December 27, 2026 with Alejandro Chaoul
Learn more/register

Ongoing: Tibetan Sound Healing is a self-paced course open at all times; Who Am I: A Journey to Self-Realization is a self-paced course open at all times.

Free courses; enroll at any time. Starting a Meditation Practice; The True Source of Healing; Living with Joy, Dying in Peace

Learn more at ligminchalearning.com.

All GlideWing online video workshops listed below also feature personal support and guidance throughout from Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche.

January 10-February 1, Awakening the Sacred Body: The Tibetan Yogas of Breath and Movement
Over three weeks you will learn simple, life-changing practices of Tibetan yoga that have been used for thousands of years to open and awaken the energy centers and channels of the subtle energy body. By clearing uncomfortable emotions and other obscurations, they can open the space from which joy, love, compassion and other positive qualities spontaneously manifest.
Learn more/register

February 14-March 15, Tibetan Dream Yoga
In this four-week workshop, students will explore and practice the ancient Bon Buddhist teachings of Tibetan dream yoga. The workshop provides detailed instruction for dream yoga practice, with discussions of the relationships between dreaming and waking and between dreaming and death. Rinpoche also will provide instructions for foundational practices done during the day and for the uses and methods of lucid dreaming. Spanish subtitles available.
Learn more/register

May 9-31, The Healing Power of Sacred Sleep
In this three-week workshop, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche merges the timeless practices of the ancient Tibetan teachings with latest insights on the science of sleep. Rinpoche’s compassionate yet powerful approach addresses not only the surface symptoms of sleep difficulties but also the root causes, including anxiety and deep-seated physical and emotional tension as some of the most significant contributors to insomnia. By combining science and ancient Tibetan wisdom, this course offers a transformative path toward restful sleep, inner peace, and improved overall well-being.
Learn more/register

August 15-September 6, Tibetan Meditation: Achieving Great Bliss Through Pure Awareness
This ancient Tibetan meditation practice helps you to enter a state of pure awareness that can bring you peace, joy, and ultimately, full realization. Over three weeks, Rinpoche guides you through a series of five simple yet profound meditations known as the Fivefold Teachings of Dawa Gyaltsen.
Learn more/register 

September 12-October 3, Healing from the Source
We tend to view emotional and physical pain as the enemy. This three-week online workshop with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche reveals why we shouldn’t, and shows us how meditations based on ancient Tibetan dzogchen teachings can transform or heal our own pain and sickness through the warmth of loving-kindness.
Learn more/register

October 10-November 8, 2026, Awakening the Sacred Arts
The Tibetan spiritual traditions tell us that unleashing our dynamic creative energy is a matter of recognizing and tapping into the wellspring of creativity that already exists within us. In this four-week online workshop, Rinpoche will instruct and guide simple meditation practices of body, speech and mind that can help you recognize obstacles blocking your creative flow, connect with your innate creative potential, and discover the strength and confidence that can allow your creativity to blossom naturally.
Learn more/register

Ongoing: Tibetan Sound Healing is a self-guided course available now; A Journey to Self-Realization is a self-guided course available now.

Ongoing: Focusing and Calming Your Mind, The Tibetan Practice of Zhine is a free two-week self-guided online workshop.

The 3 Doors is an international nonprofit organization founded in 2010 by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche with the mission of transforming lives through meditation practices grounded in wisdom and compassion from the Tibetan Bön tradition. Upcoming opportunities include: International Practice Day, Live Event Recordings with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and 3 Doors Teachers and The 3 Doors Latin American Academy in Brazil.

International Practice Day

Come together with a global community of practitioners for a free day of guided meditation practice.
January 31, 2026, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. NY time
Online via Zoom
Free and open to all
Available in English and Spanish with more languages to be announced soon
Experience the joy and power of collective support as we deepen our capacity to reflect upon our lives.
Learn more

Live-Event Recordings: The Heart of Self-Transformation with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and 3 Doors Teachers
6.5 hours of teaching and guided practice
Beginner-friendly, suitable for all
Available in English, Español, Magyar, Português
In this live recording from the October 2025 weekend retreat, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche discusses the importance of caring for the physical body and finding joy in the process.
Learn more

The 3 Doors Academy – Latin America
This September, The 3 Doors launched its signature program in Curitiba, Brazil, guided by teachers Alejandro Chaoul, Rosario Arellano, Lourdes Hinojosa, Patricia Vigil, and Carlos Villarreal. New participants are warmly welcome to join.
Offered in Spanish and Portuguese
Learn more

8th North American Academy
The 3 Doors is just beginning to plan the next North American Academy. If you are interested, please reach out to Emily Light, Program Coordinator, at emily.light@the3doors.org to express your interest and be added to the list to receive future updates.

To see the entire list of 3 Doors programs visit: https://the3doors.org/program-calendar/

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